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From Carlson to Google

August 10, 2011

As a company that prides itself on innovation, diversification, and endless opportunities, Google holds some of the most coveted positions. Several Carlson graduates have joined the company, integrating what they learned in their four years at Carlson into their day-to-day operations.

As a company that prides itself on innovation, diversification, and endless opportunities, Google holds some of the most coveted positions. For the fifth consecutive year, Google has ranked in the top five of Fortune magazine's '100 Best Companies to Work for.' Several Carlson graduates have joined the company, integrating what they learned in their four years at Carlson into their day-to-day operations.

Mike Chlipala, a 2010 Carlson graduate in Management Information Systems & Marketing, says his experience at Carlson made the transition from student to working professional seamless.

"I was able to quickly begin contributing to our team. This position is a pretty natural fit; the classes (at Carlson) prepared me for many of the technical challenges I face on a daily basis."

"Because I work with a LOT of clients, I must understand their goals and business models in a matter of minutes. Carlson helped me do that," said Abby Faust, a dual marketing and strategic communications major. Faust also says her extracurricular activities and marketing/sales courses taught her how to think strategically about high-level business objectives.

Networking skills taught through the BA 3000 course (Career Skills), in addition to the coaching offered by the Undergraduate Business Career Center helped Janet Yockers, a 2010 graduate, land a job at Google. "I definitely think the networking skills I learned at Carlson played a huge role. I would not have received an interview without an internal referral."

Chris Rothstein, a 2007 graduate in Management Information Systems major, finds it refreshing to work with such a diverse group of people. "I am always amazed at the quality level of my co-workers. My team has such a variety of backgrounds and educations that everyone brings something to the table that they can teach you," Rothstein says.

Chlipala has similar experiences, and especially enjoys the 'weirdness' of his Google co-workers. "I've learned how important fun can be to a workplace environment; my team is so much more engaged and motivated knowing that we can celebrate how weird and strange we are," he says.

Rothstein concluded, "It was hard to leave the Minneapolis area, but if you are interested in technology, there is no place that compares to here."